Anchor
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: (Takes place in 4x3) Cameron comes to visit House in the hospital after he electrocutes himself. He was not expecting a visit from her, and he was an idiot to think she wouldn't have cared. (HOUSECAM.)


**AN: **Sorry for the long delay. Welp, I am still writing my other fic (about their date) but it's getting long and I'm having trouble working it out... with exams coming and all. Anyway, I found this lying around from when I was on season four. I'm on season five now, haha. Anyway, enjoy.

Takes place in season four, episode three.

xXx

He was woken up by the sound of his hospital door sliding open. The light patter of footsteps followed and promptly stopped in the doorway. Someone was there, waiting, aware that he was no longer asleep. Still, House kept his eyes closed. "Go away, Wilson." he called. "I need my beauty sleep."

"It's not Wilson." came a voice. The voice definitely wasn't Wilson's. It was female. Surprised, House's eyes snapped open to find Cameron standing in the doorway, leaning up against the doorframe with her arms crossed and worry written all over her pale face.

"Cameron." he said quietly. He had not been expecting to see her. Sure, she would have heard about his little mishap, it was bound to happen some time. Still, he hadn't expected a visit from her. He was an idiot to think she wouldn't have cared.

"I can't believe you." she replied.

"It's nice to see you too." he said wryly. His sarcasm never stopped flowing, much like his blood, or the steady stream of self-hatred that ran through his scattered brain.

Cameron didn't reply. Instead, she entered the room and sat down on the edge of his hospital bed. He immediately shifted his legs to make room for her, ignoring the throb of protest from his crippled right leg as he did so. She took his burned hand in her soft ones and inspected it closely, turning it over and over again.

"I just can't believe you." she said again, shaking her head in what looked like disbelief.

"And I just can't believe you went blonde." responded House.

Once again, she ignored his comment. "Why did you do it, House?"  
>He was about to shoot another sarcastic comment her way, but the look in her blue-grey eyes made him stop and reevaluate his choice. She looked dead serious, more than a little exasperated, and <em>worried. <em>Worried out of her goddamn mind. After a few moments, he replied honestly. "I don't know."

"Were you trying to kill yourself?"

"No."

"You weren't?"

"No."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't know."

Cameron seemed frustrated by his answers. She took a deep breath, and then released it in the form of a long sigh. Her gaze left his face to travel aimlessly around the room, looking at anything but him. _Anything _but his face. "Just… promise me something, all right?" she said finally. "Promise me you won't do anything like this again."

"Fine." He could promise that. He'd wanted to see what there was after life, to see if it was better than the shitty existence he was leading now, but there was nothing else for him. He was left with the pleasures his mortal life could give him. Not much came to mind. Still, it was better than nothing. At least he had Vicodin, scotch, prostitutes, and… _her. _Cameron.

She seemed to relax a bit. House saw it in the way her shoulders slumped a little bit, and the soft exhale she did. "Good. House, you may not want to live-"

"Cameron, I told you-"

"Don't tell me otherwise." she snapped. "You may not want to _die, _but you'd rather not be _living._" Once she was sure he had shut up, she continued. "You may not want to live, but I don't know what I would do without you."

House said nothing, so she kept going. "It's stupid, and it's _sick, _but I need you. I still do. I may not want to _talk _to you, but it's comforting that I know you're out there somewhere, spreading your misery and popping Vicodin like they're Tic Tacs."

"Don't worry, Cameron. I'm not going anywhere." he said finally. "I'll be here spreading my misery for years to come."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Please don't."

"All right. Can I hug you instead?"

"If you really have to." House retorted, although frankly he wanted- and maybe _needed_- a hug from her. Cameron leaned in and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Her newly dyed blonde hair was mere centimetres from his face, and he could smell the floral, fruity shampoo she had used on her hair. Although he preferred her with dark hair, the blonde looked good on her too. She took a breath, and he was close enough to hear that it was shaky. She had been scared. Scared, for him. Scared that he would die.

"It's okay." he whispered.

"I know." she whispered back. She pulled away then. House took one look at her misty eyes and then shifted over in the bed with a grunt, making room for her. Cameron lay down beside him wordlessly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're okay, House." she breathed.

"Shh. Don't talk."

She nodded and closed her eyes. House closed his too. He could hear her heart beating, her chest so close to his own. He could hear his own heart beating as well, pounding in his ears. It was okay. He was alive, and she was there with him. Perhaps there was nothing after life for him, but he had her. As much as he wanted to fly away, he couldn't. She was his anchor. She kept him grounded, kept him there, kept him alive. He had nothing else, but as long as she held some sort of affection for him, he knew he had something.

end


End file.
